The electronic capture and storage of digitized images has enabled the application of machine vision algorithms to the automation of image analysis operations to improve productivity and accuracy beyond levels that can reasonably be achieved by human observers. For example, robotic machine vision systems now perform routine inspections of mechanical components in applications too tedious or demanding to be carried out manually. Similarly, in diagnostic medicine and life science research, computer analysis is beneficially applied to images captured by robotic microscopes to expand the extent, thoroughness, and accuracy of searches for indications of pathology or for the quantification of the signals from probes for identifying important molecular components of cells.